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Phantom Terror: Political Paranoia and the Creation of the Modern State, 1789-1848

Phantom Terror: Political Paranoia and the Creation of the Modern State, 1789-1848

by Adam Zamoyski (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2015

    $21.66
Synopsis

For the ruling and propertied classes of the late eighteenth century, the years following the French Revolution were characterized by intense anxiety. Monarchs and their courtiers lived in constant fear of rebellion, convinced that their power--and their heads--were at risk. Driven by paranoia, they chose to fight back against every threat and insurgency, whether real or merely perceived, repressing their populaces through surveillance networks and violent, secretive police action. Europe, and the world, had entered a new era. In Phantom Terror, award-winning historian Adam Zamoyski argues that the stringent measures designed to prevent unrest had disastrous and far-reaching consequences, inciting the very rebellions they had hoped to quash. The newly established culture of state control halted economic development in Austria and birthed a rebellious youth culture in Russia that would require even harsher methods to suppress. By the end of the era, the first stirrings of terrorist movements had become evident across the continent, making the previously unfounded fears of European monarchs a reality. Phantom Terror explores this troubled, fascinating period, when politicians and cultural leaders from Edmund Burke to Mary Shelley were forced to choose sides and either support or resist the counterrevolutionary spirit embodied in the newly-omnipotent central states. The turbulent political situation that coalesced during this era would lead directly to the revolutions of 1848 and to the collapse of order in World War I. We still live with the legacy of this era of paranoia, which prefigured not only the modern totalitarian state but also the now preeminent contest between society's haves and have nots. These tempestuous years of suspicion and suppression were the crux upon which the rest of European history would turn. In this magisterial history, Zamoyski chronicles the moment when desperate monarchs took the world down the path of revolution, terror, and world war.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 592
 Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 10 Feb 2015
ISBN 10: 0465039898
ISBN 13: 9780465039890

Media Reviews
Economist Scintillating and original. Wall Street Journal A sweeping history of the rise of state control in Europe from 1789 to 1848... Mr. Zamoyski demonstrates an impressive command of political history and international relations as he chronicles the practices of state-sponsored censorship, surveillance and brutality that, in his view, ultimately prompted the revolutions they were intended to prevent. Atlantic Zamoyski, who writes with flair and an eye for amusing detail, is particularly good on things Russian. Spectator, UK Splendidly provocative... [F]ull of arresting details and sharp asides. Adam Zamoyski writes like a dancer at a court ball: gracious, patrician, masterful, sure-footed. Daily Beast Stimulating... elegantly sardonic... Zamoyski's main point is clear and unimpeachable: Generating fear in the populace may be an excellent way to bolster state power, but it's a lousy substitute for actual information and realistic assessment of the challenges a nation faces. Library Journal Provides insight into the political elites who sought to maintain the status quo...In pursuit of the story of paranoia and repression, Zamoyski has mined an impressive selection of primary sources from Britain to Austria. Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gulag: A History With characteristic flair and elegance, Adam Zamoyski dissects the paranoia, suspicion, and conspiracy theories which followed in the wake of the French Revolution. He sketches out the birth of the modern police state in this era, as well as the origins of European totalitarianism and the beginnings of what we would later come to call class struggle. Phantom Terror is a timely and original history book, a brilliant guide to the past which will inspire reflections about the present as well. Andrew Roberts, author of The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War This diligently researched, beautifully written, and passionately argued work of scholarship completely convinces. Adam Zamoyski conclusively proves his case against the reactionary European Legitimist monarchy-dictatorships, and he does so with appropriately aristocratic panache. In so doing he leads an entire herd of sacred cows to the abattoir of history. This is revisionist history at its absolute best. Open Letters Monthly Zamoyski has mastered the art of putting his readers as close to the thinking minds of his historical subjects as they're ever likely to get. He's particularly good at doing this for what we call the Napoleonic era; his 2004 book Moscow 1812 and his 2007 book Rites of Peace are masterpieces of historical insight, and Phantom Terror continues that happy pattern by digging into moods and atmospheres. Though-provoking. New York Review of Books A vigorous and colorful account of this era of restoration, incorporating significant new research by the author and his team of assistants; and it includes a strikingly effective deployment of Slavic sources by Zamoyski. Kirkus [Zamoyski's] point is important, and his book comprehensively examines the role of the powerful over the weak and the effects of governmental overreactions. Publishers Weekly A meticulous, thorough account... Zamoyski takes an infamous 18th-century class struggle and painstakingly shows how the resulting suppression manifested itself through sophisticated spy networks and Germany's heightened nationalism, as well as a chasm between the economic and social classes that persists today. The Times, UK Vivid, terrifying and often quite funny... Zamoyski admits that his story 'holds enormous relevance to the present.' But, being a careful and wise historian, he leaves it to the reader to draw the conclusions that seem logical... Superbly drawn. Washington Times Mr. Zamoyski documents, in indisputable detail, a system that relied on bumblers and fumblers, 'security agents' so inept as to make the Keystone Cops look like Sherlock Holmes in comparison... [A] work of serious history. Weekly Standard An able chronicler of Polish history, Zamoyski has also written studies of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna, giving him the fluency to balance stories of bumbling brothel tipsters with accounts of aristocratic conferences in Troppau and Laibach. It is this blend of high politics and sordidness that makes Phantom Terror so enjoyable a narrative. Zamoyski delivers on a relevant topic.
Author Bio
Adam Zamoyski is an award-winning author of numerous books about Poland, Napoleon, and 19th century Europe. A contributor to the Times, the Daily Telegraph, and the Guardian, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, the Royal Society of Arts, and the Royal Society of Literature, Zamoyski lives in London.